The currently existing related art involves several systems and methods for providing footwear fashion options. Some of these related art inventions involve converting a shoe from a high heel mode to a low heel mode. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0011909 to Palmeri discloses women's footwear that can be worn as both a high heel (pump) shoe or as a flat heel shoe. The high heel portion comprises a clip for coupling to the heel portion of the shoe upper. The clip is of the type used in belt clips, but without a swiveling feature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,836 to Watt et al. discloses a shoe having removable heels for permitting a user to wear a single pair of shoes which can be used in a high-heel mode or a flat mode, wherein the heel has a block extending from its upper, and wherein the block has sides and detents corresponding to the sole hole sides and the corresponding apertures. The block is removably inserted into the sole hole. U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,857 to Clifton discloses a shoe having a detachable heel. The shoe includes a foot receptacle portion having a threaded stem extending downwardly from the foot receptacle portion, a locking pin slot, and shoe heel threadably engageable to the stem and having a locking pin assembly which engages the locking pin slot to secure the heel in a fixed position.
Other related art inventions disclose shoes with only interchangeable or replaceable heel elements. U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,448 to Schupback discloses a shoe which includes a releasably attaching structure which comprises a flanged extension disposed on the heel portion of a shoe upper, the shoe upper heel portion being hinged. The flanged extension is disposed into an orifice at the upper portion of the heel. A triggering mechanism is used to activate a tooth from a locked position to an unlocked position, wherein the tooth retains the flanged extension during use of the heel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,320 to Goldenberg et al. discloses an article of footwear which comprises a shoe having a removable and replaceable heel and which uses a latch mechanism for inhibiting unintended separation of the heel from the upper. Although the Goldenberg invention attempts to inhibit unintended separation of the heel from the upper, such separation is not altogether prevented. U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,835 to Militello discloses a shoe which includes at least one replaceable heel having a slot in which a rear portion of a plate may be inserted. A front portion of the plate is attached to the front surface of the heel base, such that the replaceable heel can be slid from the rear portion of the plate.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,365 to Goldenberg discloses a shoe which includes a pin member projecting outwardly from a head portion secured to the sole by a screw extending through a bore and threaded in a nut imbedded in the head portion, with the bore and the screw being preferably at an obtuse angle to the pin member, a heel which includes a preassembled capsule lock secured in a bore, wherein the capsule lock includes a housing formed by a bottom cup being press-fit in a top insert, a washer member disposed against the lower surface of a plate being integrally formed in the cylindrical portion of the top insert by a compression spring, the plate being at an acute angle to the axis of the housing and to the pin member. The head portion terminates in a lower cylindrical portion having an abutment surface which flushly abuts the upper surface of the plate when the lower cylindrical portion is slidably fit in a socket formed in the housing. Alignment ears are also slidably fit within troughs when the head portion is slidably fit within a recess formed in the heel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,138 to Durcho discloses a shoe having a block downwardly extending from a lower portion of a sole adjacent the heel and with a magnetic plate facing downwardly from the block, a heel having an upper surface with an upwardly facing recess and a magnetically responsive plate facing upwardly on the lower surface of the recess.
Along with the foregoing related art inventions, U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,290 to Koehl et al. discloses a high heel shoe with a self-seating removable heel portion, wherein a heel portion of the sole has a socket with a forwardly facing open end and a closed rear end, the socket having a side wall forming a continuous dove-tail joint portion. The high heel has an enlarged upper end portion with an inclined upper surface and a dove-tail locking member extending upwardly from the high heel upper end portion inclined surface, the locking member including a pedestal with a dove-tail side wall that corresponds to, and registers with, the socket so that the heel can be attached to the socket into a forward to aft direction, wherein the heel is constantly loaded rearward during use, whereby a seating of the heel upon the socket is insured during use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,177 to Boros discloses footwear which comprises a plurality of detachable heels and a plurality of detachable uppers being selectively mounted together. The footwear comprises an attachment structure which includes a threaded stud and a threadably engaging cavity. The footwear also comprises an ant-rotation structure which includes a detent and a complementary recess disposed between the heel and the toe areas. However, the Boros footwear is not quickly engageable or disengageable.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,384 to Gonzalez discloses a shoe which has a first coupling element secured on a heel portion and a second coupling element defining a heel and being slidably mounted to the first coupling element. A resilient tab in the second coupling element engages a locking groove formed on the first coupling element and is held in place by a removable wedge. U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,340 to Pais discloses a device for coupling the sole and heel of a shoe which comprises a plate which is secured adjacent the sole and which has a shank extending rearward to engage the heel. The shank has a hook which is adapted to be received in a recess in the heel to retain it in position. U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,404 to Sultan discloses a replaceable heel construction comprising a heel locking structure comprising an upper plate which conforms in shape, size and nail openings to the rear plate of the shank. The plate carries a cam which is mounted within, or on, an upper collar. The upper collar carries a handle member. The lower plate has an off-center opening and a stop member to cooperate with the cam. However, the Sultan locking structure provides for neither quick coupling nor quick decoupling.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 2,795,866 Perugia discloses a shoe with a replaceable heel having a metal tenon, curved along a circular arc in the direction of its length. The tenon protrudes beyond the seat to which it is fastened by screws, for example. The tenon can have a trapezoidal cross-section and can extend far beyond the front edge of the heel seat. Below the insole, a mortise slide is fastened comprises the same radius of curvature as that of the tenon. U.S. Design Pat. No. D378,548 to Harman II discloses a shoe with a heel, wherein the heel height is adjustable. The heel has two portions, an upper portion and a lower portion, the portions being slidably mounted to one another. When the lower portion is removed, the overall heel height is decreased. Japan Patent Application Publication No. JP 09075107 to Lewis discloses a heel which is used by removing the fixed face of a pad layer for exposing the head of a large bolt, loosening the large bolt for separating a heel from a shoe, inserting the projection of another heel in a small opening of an outsole for the directional determination and the subsequent fixing thereof to the shoe to cover the large bolt, and preventing the rear part of an insole from moving within the shoe.
Common problems experienced in the related art is that mounting structures have an inordinate number of components and do not have the structural stability for accepting the heavy loads, e.g., walking or running, and that they are not quickly-releasable for easy use. The related art heels tend to self-dissemble from the soles and/or uppers during walking or running, thereby creating a dangerous condition for the wearer. Further, many of heels in the related art require some mechanical ability on the part of the wearer and/or at least some tools for their proper fastening to the sole and/or the upper. Thus, a long-felt need is seen to exist for a system and a method for providing a plethora of footwear fashion options via a plurality of interchangeable components, the interchangeability of which being facilitated by an attachment structure which is both structurally stable as well as quick-coupling and quick-decoupling for easy use.